Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Let's take a quick look at the bicycle parking rack that the DOT installed this morning in front of MUD on East Ninth Street... via EV Grieve reader Robert...

And the final product, via EV Grieve reader MP, who started off all this coverage today... A few people believe that this is the first one not only in the neighborhood, but also in the city (haven't verified this, but...)

18 comments:

Um - how are they going to plow snow? this is just like the poor planning with the 1) select service bus kiosks which got clobbered with plowed snow (albeit, not this winter) and 2) the bike lanes on the avenues which are too narrow for the plows. makes for a big mess.

They'll plow it just like they plow every other parking space - that is, they won't.

Also, among the reasons why bike lanes are not plowed in the winter, the reason you cited is not among them. On the contrary, they are designed to be wide enough to fit plows and emergency vehicles... and if the street is too narrow for that, they won't install them. Really, the main reason why they are not plowed is because there is a political uproar if they are cleared at any time when there is one street anywhere else in the city that has yet to be plowed. I'm supposing that the city now makes a point of holding out as long as possible before plowing the bike lanes - usually the snow will have melted before anyone addresses it. The local papers claim differently, of course, but their sources are usually some bodega owners who think bike lanes are going to make them go bankrupt.

Doubt these will find much use by the cyclists in the East Village. Case in point: the city spends millions of (yours, mine, everyone's) tax dollars to put in bike lanes along 1st/2nd Aves, and what do the bikers do? Ride on the sidewalks, and the wrong way on the other side of the avenues just like they always did.

One time I saw a cyclist in the bike lane actually stop for a red light as pedestrians in the crossing walked by, though. That guy was cool.

I see quite a bit of use of the 2nd Ave bike lanes. Most cyclists are using them, and the number of cyclists seems to be increasing constantly. I am glad for that. Now if they would only obey traffic rules, like red lights.

But yes, those riding on the sidewalks are a problem. I know two acquaintances who were injured (to the point of requiring stitches) by sidewalk cyclists, and I've been hit by one from behind (I wasn't injured, but the cyclist went flying in a beautiful arc of a karmic crash).

Anyway, a good initiative. I am also very thankful that there are built into the street, not on the sidewalk, as the sidewalks are already too narrow and cluttered: signage, newspaper boxes, trash cans, mountains of trash bags, parking meter pay boxes, cell phone zombies, etc. I wish more of that functionality could be moved out into the street also, or at least the sidewalks (re-) widened.

bike lanes are wide enough for plows and emergency vehicles? are you talking about the bike lanes I pass every day on 1st and 2nd aves.? or are the plows and emergency vehicles you're referring to smaller, lilliputian things we imported especially from oz? i think a city snowplow trying to go down a bike lane would take out all the concrete island barriers and parked cars along with the snow.

I'm not entirely clear why they would ruin a perfectly good parking space so people living in the 19th century can park their modes of transportation, Now we'll just have one more motorist double-parked constipating traffic. Well done Mayor, you've ruined everyone's lives again!

Under NYS law bicycles are required to follow the same "rules of the road" as motor vehicles. Full stops at stop signs, traffic lights, ride on the right, signal turns etc. It's important for the credibility of cyclists as users of the road (NY is a "share the road" state where cyclists have as much right to the roads as cars and trucks) to observe the rules. Every asshole on a bike that blows thru a red light or rides the wrong way on a one way street or rides on the sidewalk (which is prohibited in NYC by law) empowers the douche bags in cars who think that bikes should be confined to parks and driveways.

Years ago Uncle Mike proposed a congestion pricing scheme to reduce the number of cars on the streets. This included changes to the street scape such as addition of bike lanes and pedestrians plazas.

I read at the time on Curbed.com where someone was of the opinion these changes to the street scape were included out of anticipation of the fact that tolls on East Rvier bridges and at 59th St would be rejected. Knowing the tolls would be rejected but that the street scape changes would fly under the radar, like it or not Uncle Mike acheuved his goal, to reduce motor vehicle congestion in lower Manhattan by reducing traffic lanes and parking spaces.

I was completely in support of congestion pricing. I expect that a modified version of that plan will be presented, and pass, in the coming years. Manhattan population will keep increasing, and car traffic is unsustainable.

One less parking space is a good thing. The ideal would be to have zero on-street parking in Manhattan, and widen the sidewalks. Gradually replace some of the bus lanes with light rail dedicated lanes, with priority traffic light signaling.

Anyway, it's a step. Keep it coming, Mayor. Let's bring the city into the 21st century. Europe is way ahead of us in terms of public transit.

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